The kickoff of the WTC cycle 2023-2025 was done with the start of the Ashes series between Australia and England. With the start of the WTC 2023-25, the first test was played at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The first test was won by the Australian team and Usman Khwaja was nominated as the player of the match for his excellent knocks. The second test was played at Lord’s, London. The second test was also won by Australia and Steven Smith was nominated as the player of the match for the second test due to his match-winning knocks. The third test was played at Headingley, Leeds. The third test was won by the England team and Mark Wod who replaced James Anderson in the team was nominated as the player of the match for taking 8 wickets in two innings.
Both the teams were penalized for slow over-rate during their first test and 2 points were deducted from their WTC points table. The WTC points distribution is as follows:
12 points if a team wins a match
6 points for each team for a tie
4 points for each team in case of a draw
With the conclusion of the third test, the Australian team is leading the WTC points table with 22 points and England is on the second number with 10 points as two points were deducted from each team. Both teams will face each other on 19 July at Old Trafford, Manchester for the fourth test and on 27 July at the Oval, London for the fifth test. The WTC points table will also change after the conclusion of each match.
World Test Championship (2023-2025) – Points Table
| Pos | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | NR | Points | PCT | ||
| 1 |  |
Australia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 61.11 | |
| 2 |  |
England | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 27.7 |
Ashes 2023: Australia facing massive World Test Championship punishment for slow over rates, Lord’s win wiped out https://t.co/hoZJf9VHl7 via @newscomauHQ
— Troy Sheens (@Troy_Sheens) July 9, 2023
